Academy of Distinguished Alumni
Gregory G. Deierlein Ph.D., N.A.E.
Inducted to the Academy of Distinguished Alumni on
Gregory Deierlein received his M.S. degree (1982) in Civil (Structural) Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley. He also received his B.S. degree (1981) in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and a Ph.D. (1988) in Structural Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He has been on the Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty at Stanford University for almost two decades, most recently as the John A. Blume Professor. Prior to Stanford, Prof. Deierlein served on the faculty of Cornell University and with the firm Leslie E. Robertson Associates. He is the Director of the John A. Blume Earthquake Engineering Center (2003-present) and was formerly Deputy Director for Research of the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center (2000–2007).
Through his technical research and team leadership, Prof. Deierlein pioneered transformative methods in structural engineering and performance-based seismic design. His contributions include research and methods development in: computational and experimental simulations of nonlinear structural performance; characterization of structural material and component behavior; performance-based engineering for earthquake and fire hazards; fracture and stability of steel structures; and, design of composite steel-concrete structures. His research in steel, concrete, and composite structures has influenced the development of national guidelines and building codes. His engineering research and professional practice has influenced the design of innovative structural systems that provide cost-effective solutions for enhanced performance under extreme loads. His research in these areas has involved complementary system development, computational modeling, and large-scale testing of mixed steel-concrete frames, controlled-rocking self-centering systems, and seismically isolated light-frame structures.
Prof. Deierlein has received a number of awards and recognition in his career, including the Raymond C. Reese Prize (twice), the Walter L. Huber Research Prize, the State of the Art Award (twice) and the Norman Medal (three), all from ASCE. He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2013.
Over the years, Prof. Deierlein has worked closely with many Berkeley structural engineers, and those collaborations continue to this day with faculty at Berkeley and graduates of Cal's structural engineering program. As Deputy Director of the PEER Center, he worked closely with Profs. Jack Moehle, Stephen Mahin, and others to set the research agenda, establish multi-campus collaborations, and develop performance-based engineering methods; and he is continuing to collaborate on PEER and other earthquake engineering initiatives.